This is the parable Allah makes of the idolators, those who worship others besides Him and attribute partners to Him, while at the same time admitting that these so-called partners -- idols and false gods -- are enslaved to and belong to Him. In their Talbiyah (during Hajj and `Umrah they used to say, "At Your service, You have no partner except the partner that You have, You own Him and whatever he owns."

ضَرَبَ لَكُمْ مَّثَلاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ

(He sets forth for you a parable from yourselves) `something which you yourselves can see witness, and understand.'

هَلْ لَّكُمْ مِّن مَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـنُكُمْ مِّن شُرَكَآءَ فِى مَا رَزَقْنَـكُمْ فَأَنتُمْ فِيهِ سَوَآءٌ

(Do you have partners among those whom your right hands possess to share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you...) `None of you would like to have his servant as a partner in his wealth, each of them having an equal share.'

تَخَافُونَهُمْ كَخِيفَتِكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ

(whom you fear as you fear each other.) `You fear that they will have a share in your wealth with you.' Abu Mijlaz said, "You do not fear that your servant will have a share in your wealth, because he has no such right; similarly, Allah has no partner." The point is, that since any one of you would abhor such a thing, how can you attribute rivals to Allah from among His creation At-Tabarani recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The people of Shirk used to say in their Talbiyah, `At Your service, You have no partner except the partner that You have, You own Him and whatever he owns.' Then Allah revealed the words:

هَلْ لَّكُمْ مِّن مَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـنُكُمْ مِّن شُرَكَآءَ فِى مَا رَزَقْنَـكُمْ فَأَنتُمْ فِيهِ سَوَآءٌ تَخَافُونَهُمْ كَخِيفَتِكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ

(Do you have partners among those whom your right hands possess to share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you, whom you fear as you fear each other)" If humans have this characteristic, this parable shows that it is even less befitting for Allah to have a partner.

كَذَلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الاٌّيَـتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

(Thus do We explain the signs in detail to a people who have sense.) Then Allah points out that when the idolators worship others instead of Him, doing so out of their own folly and ignorance:

بَلِ اتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ

(Nay, but those who do wrong follow...), meaning, the idolators,

أَهْوَاءَهُمْ

(...their own lusts) means, in their worship of false gods without knowledge.

فَمَن يَهْدِى مَنْ أَضَلَّ اللَّهُ

(Then who will guide him whom Allah has sent astray) means, no one can guide them if Allah has decreed that they will be misguided.

وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ

(And for such there will be no helpers.) means, there is no one who can save them from the power of Allah or grant them a way out, for what He wills, happens and what He does not will, does not happen.